1. “It Was the Right Time,” Says Australia Player Shane Watson About Retirement
“One morning I woke up in Dharamsala and I knew now was the right time”, said Australian cricketer Shane Watson while announcing his retirement from international cricket.
Watson will retire after the conclusion of the ongoing World Twenty20 that is being hosted in India currently. He had already retired from Test cricket last year after the tour of England and had stopped playing ODIs since September 2015. This will be his official goodbye to international cricket, after playing for his country for over a decade.
One morning I woke up in Dharamsala to the beautiful view and I don’t know what it was exactly but I knew now was the right time. I’ve really enjoyed my time being back in the Australian squad. But it is quite different, none of the other guys I played with growing up are here anymore. I’ve made the right decision. I couldn’t really see the light with the all the injuries I had.Shane Watson
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2. V Anand Beats Karjakin to Come Back in Joint Lead in Candidates
Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand avenged his defeat against Sergey Karjakin of Russia and came roaring back in lead after the end of the 11th round of the Candidates Chess tournament at Moscow.
After losing to Fabiano Caruana of United States in the previous round, Anand was in a must-win situation to stay afloat in the biggest challenge of the year and the Indian ace came out with flying colours dumping the local hopes in spectacular style.
The other highlight of the day was Armenian Levon Aronian’s loss to Peter Svidler of Russia which meant that there are mainly two contenders for the final dash of the candidates that will select the challenger to world champion Magnus Carlson of Norway.
3. Former Barcelona Player Johan Cruyff Dies Aged 68
Johan Cruyff, one of the greatest footballers in history, died on Thursday at the age of 68 due to lung cancer, his family announced.
Cruyff died peacefully in Barcelona, surrounded by his family after a hard-fought battle with cancer. It’s with great sadness that we ask you to respect the family’s privacy during their time of grief.Statement on his official website
The Dutchman won three European Cups as a player with Ajax as well as three Ballon d’Or titles (1971, 1973, 1974).
He then led Barcelona to their first European Cup title as a manager in 1992.
The incarnation of Total Football that took the Dutch team to the World Cup final in 1974, Cruyff was a long-time smoker who revealed in October last year that he had lung cancer.
He gave up smoking in 1991 after an open heart surgery.
4. Australia-Pakistan and West Indies-South Africa T20s Today
Australia will fancy their chances when they lock horns with a struggling Pakistan side whose hopes hang by a thread in the ICC World T20 at Mohali on Friday.
Pakistan have struggled so far in the tournament but Australia are in no mood to take them lightly in a must-win match for both teams at the IS Bindra Stadium.
With two losses from three games, Pakistan’s chances of progressing in the tournament are slim.
Chris Gayle will return to the top of the batting order as West Indies look to continue their winning run and secure a semi-final berth when they take on South Africa in the ICC World T20 at Nagpur on Friday.
The big-hitting left-handed opener was dropped down the order to number six in their previous match against Sri Lanka after he pulled a hamstring while fielding.
5. Federer Injured His Knee While Running a Bath
Roger Federer, not known for serious slip-ups in his flowing run to a record 17 grand slam singles titles, has come clean about the left knee injury that sidelined him for nearly two months.
The Swiss maestro, who will resume competition at the Miami Open on Friday, revealed that he tore the meniscus in his knee when he slipped while running a bath for his twin daughters in Melbourne, after his semi-final loss to Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open.
The 34-year-old Federer told reporters he felt a “click” as he transferred his weight to his left leg, but did not realise the seriousness of the injury at the time.
It was only later, after he returned home to Switzerland, that an MRI revealed the extent of the injury and prompted an arthroscopic surgery on 3 February.
I remember I turned, I felt my knee was funny, I turned back. That’s when I heard a click. I did feel that something was strange in my knee. Very simple movement, probably a movement I’ve done a million times in my life for sure.Roger Federer
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